Mute | Jaeyong

[ 8 ]

Haechan excitedly pulled Taeyong down the steps and towards a silver car, quickly opening the door and climbing inside once gestured in by the parents.

"Hey Tae, these are my parents. Mom, Dad this is Taeyong!" He smiled fondly.

It had been a long time since Haechan brought a friend home with him after school, or in fact had a friend at all. Especially one that would sleep over.

The mother was well aware of Haechan being bullied, he withdrew himself a lot for a year and was quite lonely despite how adamant he was that he was fine and happy.

She knew full well it was a lie, but she didn't know what to do. When she asked he refused to tell her who the bully was, and whenever she tried to uncover the truth it resulted in Haechan lashing out.

So she let him be, and eventually he came round to being himself again. Almost as if he was determined to starting afresh this year.

And so far he has. He has a friend again, and his mother couldn't be anymore prouder.

She suspected the cause of bullying was because his family wasn't a normal, not a stereotypical family. It was similar to Taeyong, Haechan's father communicated through sign language as he lost his hearing at a young age.

It's was most likely his friends were uncomfortable, not knowing how to communicate to Haechan's father.

Thoughts brushed aside, Haechan's mother half turned in her seat and melted at the sight of the young boy climbing in beside her boy:

Smiling once her hazel eyes landed on Tae, "Oh you're just as adorable as Haechannie described!"

As she spoke she signed, so the father could also be included in the conversation.

Even in public she sometimes signs when he's not around. It's just became an instinct with her husband being deaf.

"Mom! That's so weird to say."

"Also, what happened to your poor little face?" The mother asked, seeing slight swelling from small cuts and bruises.

Haechan's heart clenched, anticipating what to say, but Taeyong 'spoke' up first.

"I wasn't looking where I was going and I tripped, falling down the stairs but I'm okay!"

The mother pouted, glancing at her husband before back at Taeyong. "Bless you, that sounds awful."

The father gazed in the rear mirror at Taeyong with a soft, genuine smile that Tae returned back followed with a wave.

Eventually the car set off and Tae was finally going to experience his first ever sleepover. He could feel a whirl of butterflies in his stomach. A mixture of excitement and nerves.

A sleepover with his first ever best friend.

In a small estate in the centre of town, they arrived at Haechan's house and it was almost how Taeyong had imagined whenever Haechan would describe the house.

It had the green grass and a flower garden at the front of the house surrounded by a pathed driveway. It was covered with fairy lights that weaved in the bushes, which bordered the front of the house.